Strasbourg, France: Palace of the Rhine

The Prussians had just defeated France in 1871 in a war, and had taken over Strasbourg and the surrounding region. Now came the tough part. How to celebrate?

One was to build a big structure for Kaiser Wilhelm to use during visits. It would be a fine way to show the French residents who was in charge. Work began in 1884, and it took five years and a lot of money to finish it. The building became a military hospital in 1914. Then World War I ended, and France was on the winning side. It wanted Strasbourg back, and got it. There was a similar hand-off of the building during the World War II years. The Central Commission for Navigation on the Rhine has its headquarters there, as the nations along the great river try to figure out how to make it work for everyone.

The building almost bit the dust in the 1970s, but it achieved historic monument status in 1993. The Palace seems ready for a long and happy reign.